Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-09-16
JAMES eOEiNSoN's CAREER.
4 Talk with the Greatest Bareback
Ride OF the Century.


world He is under the medium size,
weighing only l2S pounds, and has
just turned his fiftyiirst year. AL
though he has acquired great wealth as
well as fame by displaying his skill on
the back of horse. he dresses plainly
and is modest, unassuming, and
sociable. Il began my circus career"
said Mr.. Robinson TO reporter last
evening. ''in 1916, when l was 8 years
old. / was then apprenticed to clown
named Gasson. A year or two later
nay indenture papers were made over
TO John Robinson. of Robinson ~
Neldred's circus, and it was then that
l began to learn bareback riding.
There was only the performer, Gilroy,
now retired old man living in Boston,
who could ride bareback and throw
somersault at that time. He was
the inventor of The act, all his pre-
decessors being confined TO the padded
saddles. / practiced great deal and
learned to do all on horseback that was
done with the saddle. One terrible fall
nearly cost me my life. was laid up
several months, but after recovery i
went ut it again and soon become per-
feet. 1 have fallen many times since
then, but have never been so complete
ly knock out that after running around
the track once or twice to throw off
the dazed feeling did not Jump on
again and complete my business. The
worst falls are those when fall on the
back OF my shoulders. neck, and head.
They wrench me somehow, and | feel
their effect yet under certain states of
weather. have been in the ring ever
since l was apprenticed. In 1856 an
agent for European circus wrote from
this country TO his employers that
he had seen man here turn
sumersault on a horses bare back
while the animal was going at full
speed The proprietorS had never
heared of such a thing, and wrote back
sarcastically that they supposed the
man ate piece 0 I beefstake before he
came down. The agent replied that
what he had written was strictly true,
but the man, who was myself. wanted
an enormous salary. He received in
structions 10 engage me at any salary,
and in lS47 | went to England. After
showing at Liverpool went to Ashley's,
at London, and achieved n success that
was Simply astonishing. Nothing of
the kind had been dreamed of by the
Londoners, and they looked upon my
acts as simply marvellous. The story that
! had made failure on the first night
the occasion, and that then spent two
or three weeks training one is not cor
rect. / took my own horses along and
made no bad breaks. | have Away
owned my horses. by the way, what
ever circus | might be travelling with.
/ kept one horse seventeen years. One
day in August, 1867, was in this city
with show, and just as | was enter
inc the Empire house not ced a horse
that knew | wanted The owner was
n Baldwinsvlle man, whose name
cannot recall just now, but who al ways
comes to me when | am here. He de-
,lined TO sell the animal, saying that he
was favorite in the family, and |
would not be willing to pay what he
asked. asked him to set price. and he
named $40. told him the horse was
mine and paid him the money. had
the horse broke in two or three weeks.
and he was one of the kindest and best
horses for my purposes / ever possessed,
but unfortunately, he went blind two
years later. The one am riding now
is IL good one, but exceedingly spirit
ed.
After "A brilliant career in England,
! eXib ted in France and Germany and
then returned TO this country. In 1868.
at Havana, was awarded the cham
p.ou's belt for bareback riding, and it
has never been wrested from me, al
though there has been several contests.
One Of them occurred in this city in
1875. when | was with Lent's circus.
Fish was my competitor then. Other
bareback riders have learned to turn
somersaults, but they can't do the pi-
roaetting and other acts, which are
simple and easy to me. The most diff
iicult feat IN the whole business is Jump
ing on and off horses while they are 90
ing at full speed. You would think it
was far easier than turning a backward
somersault or some such thing, but it
isn't have been told by phrenologists,
physicians, and other learned men who
have examined me that my faculty or
power Of balancing is the most wonder
full they ever saw. feel just as safe
and just as much at home on horse 5
back as do on this floor. But for all
that 1 am not infallible. or I would
never fall. In 1875 and 1876 | was
with Cooper & Bailey's circus in Aus.
tralia, India, and Japan, and learned
considerable of the customs of those